One of the reasons, perhaps, why lefty bloggers are painted as wet behind the ears is the impression sometimes given that they expect the millennium tomorrow. Or, at the very latest, the first day of the next Congress.
Perhaps it's today's 24/7 world, perhaps it was ever thus. (Old(er) guy talking!)
My perspective: I look for glacial progress, picking up in time to something like a snakes's slither.
Any prospect of
bish, bang, boom! is for the birds!
My fear is that perhaps the caricature of the lefty sphere as a bunch of kids may partially prove true: that, when (as is inevitable) the fruits of the 110th Congress prove to be few and largely sour, interest will wane, and the caravan will move on.
The key, it seems to me, is to figure a realistic time-scale. We have one given to us: the 2010 Census redistricting. Before attention is caught by the tabloid joys of the 08 prez campaign, detailed thought needs to be given as to how the redistricting is going to be dealt with. (It's different in every state - which underlines the need for a 50 State operation.)
More than that, we need to reconcile ourselves to a minimal legislative production in the 110th. By far the most important thing in both Houses is for the Dems to reach an accommodation between themselves about strategy - even if that accommodation is unsavoury to left sphere tastes.
There is (as recent pieces of mine have suggested) ample scope for a serious falling out within House Dem ranks; avoiding that should be Pelosi's top priority.
But, even assuming sweetness and light within the Dem Congressional parties, pickings are likely to be slim, and victories symbolic.
The most important thing by far, once party cohesion is achieved, is to prepare the ground for an 08 campaign in both elected branches, in an effort to ensure that at least one branch is controlled by the Dems.
Which will (I suspect) mean holding back extremely necessary proposals - for a scheme for single payer healthcare - which every sane American, freed of partisan and corporate influence, would support.
Because, let's face it, partisan and corporate influence is what makes the political world go round.
Of course, I'm not suggesting that the sphere should let up in its criticisms of the Dem leadership - as if anyone would take any notice if I did!
What's necessary, I think, is to recalibrate the expectations of the sphere to the realities of divided government in the 110th, and, perhaps, in the 111th and 112th, too.
It will not be the end of the world - and the millennial tone is pretty much the Johnny One Note in some parts of the sphere right now! - if the Dems don't win either, or both, houses this time. Or if they don't win the prez in 08.
We get the 2010 Census redistricting coming through in 12; by which time a large slice of leadership and committee chairs among the current Dem contingent in the Congress will have retired or kicked the bucket.
And, beneath the Federal level, we have the state leges which, mostly, either do the redistricting or approve it or appoint the commissions that do it.
Some state senators elected in 2008 will participate; those elected to upper and lower houses in 2010 will do so. Getting control of the leges is, honestly, as important as, or more important than, taking the House in four days time.
Everyone in the sphere loves them some Dean for his 50 State Strategy. I sometimes wonder whether, when things go wrong in the 110th, as they're sometimes bound to do, all of the will have the resolution to stick with it.
Really hope so. For one thing, life without a Dem resurgence would be so damned boring!